There are a number of known devices for enabling the turning and movement of an operating table on which a patient who is to be operated on is lying. Particularly in the case of back operations and brain operations, but also for some other types of operations it may be vital to be able to place the patient in exactly the right position, with the correct curvature of the back or at a particular angle for the best possible angle of incidence to the operating site. It can also be important to be able to tilt the patient during the operation in order to avoid vomiting and nausea. Furthermore, it is important to be able to turn the patient when the patient's head has to be facing upwards for the administration of the anaesthetic, while having to turn him afterwards in the case of, e.g., a back operation, a task which can involve the personnel in some fairly hard work. Moreover, there can be problems if a badly injured person has to be lifted on to a table while simultaneously having to be careful to move him as little as possible.
This problem has led to the development of a number of different variants of revolving and rotating operating tables. Thus, for example, from French patent No. 2,585,240 there is a known operating table's support column with a ring-shaped element into which an operating table or bed can be introduced and where an opposite bed is permanently mounted in the ring. By securing the patient between these beds, the ring can then be turned and the patient moved into the required position. However, this device is relatively awkward to use and the ring may get in the way during the operation.
Moreover, from U.S. Pat. No. 3,302,218 a further device with a rotatable ring is known in which a bed is used. The ring is in two parts with a hinged connection enabling it to be opened. When a patient has to be turned after he has been lifted on to the bed, the ring is opened and a second bed is placed over the patient to secure him, after which the ring is turned 180 degrees, the ring is opened and the patient can be released from the upper bed. This device is limited to one rotation of 180 degrees and in this design too the ring will be in the way.
From Swedish patent application No. 8703029 a further solution is known based on the ring principle. Here two rings are used which are mounted on a stand and these rings can be split into several segments. Inside the ring are fitted four beds, enabling a patient to be turned 90 degrees or placed in a corner between two beds. During the operation the upper part of the rings is removed, thus achieving considerably better access to the patient during the operation. This arrangement, however, severely limits the possibility of vertical or oblique movement and due to the use of two rings it will not be possible to place the patient in any kind of substantially bend position or to have his knees at an angle, etc.
In conclusion we refer to Norwegian patent application No. 87 4921 which describes a rod device which projects from a support column and in which the rods are supplied with joints which enable a patient holding device to be rotated completely in the vertical direction and 180 degrees in the horizontal direction. This device offers a large range of possible positions for the patient during the operation and with the device described in the Norwegian application it is also possible to place the patient in bent positions. Even although the axis of rotation for moving the operating table or the patient is approximately in the patient's centre of gravity, the system is not completely balanced and when using the above-mentioned joint mechanisms, electrical or motor drive, and thus a control of the system will be required. A further disadvantage of this known device is that the patient in the horizontal plane can only be rotated 180 degrees, which means that some positions cannot be achieved and can result in longer paths of movement than are desirable.
To sum up briefly, therefore, the problem which forms the basis for the invention is to provide a device which makes it possible to achieve any conceivable position for the patient in an operation situation, in that account should be taken of the fact that there are many details which have to be correct, so that even a "millimetre adjustment" may be necessary. In this connection it should also be possible to adjust or position parts of the body in required positions independently of one another and to obtain, e.g., bending of a back. These fine adjustments of position before or during an operation should be possible in all directions. Furthermore, it should be possible, e.g., if necessary to be able to tilt the patient with his head forward in order to avoid vomiting etc.
Moreover, it should be possible to have an injured person transferred to the operating table with as few movements as possible and to have him turned into required positions. The same applies when a patient has to be returned to bed after an operation, when it is desirable for the transfer to be made as directly as possible. This also applies, e.g., to transfer to a chair, in that it may be vital for the patient to be exposed to minimal movement. These conditions are not met in either of the above-mentioned French or American patents, nor the device in accordance with the Swedish application. In the case of the embodiment according to the Norwegian application, such a transfer of a patient would be possible, but the handling of the patient on the actual operating table is, as already mentioned, not completely satisfactory.
The object of the invention is therefore to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements as fully as possible. This object is achieved by an operating table characterized by the features in the claims presented.
The invention has thus succeeded in satisfying all the above described strict requirements with regard to handling of a patient before, during and after an operation at one time. This is not possible with the above-mentioned known techniques.